Swimming glove



Ap l 27, 1943. E. B. CO'D'DINGTON SWIMMING GLOVE Filed March 18, 1940 Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWIMMING GLOVE Edward B. Coddington, Chicago, 111. Application March l8, 1940, Serial No. 324,639

2 Claims.

This invention relates to swimming gloves, and particularly to a web type of glove, one object of which is to enable the user of such gloves to swim with greater speed, in a more eiiicient manner and with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement whereby gloves of the character described may be readily applied to and removed from the hands of the user, and also to provide means for preventing accidental displacement of the gloves when in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means to facilitate applying the gloves to the hands of the user, and to facilitate their removal therefrom when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement for yieldingly retaining the fingers of ones hand and the web-like body portion or member of the glove in distended, wide open or spread condition when the glove is on ones hand and in position for use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a swimming glove of simple construction, economical to manufacture and eificient for the purpose intended.

A still further object of the invention is to improve articles of the character described in sundry details hereinafter referred to and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

One embodiment of the present invention is shown for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a rear view of a swimming glove embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the structure illustrated in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises a sheet or web-like portion forming a body member 5 of flexible material, preferably water-proof, such, for example, as rubber or water-proofed fabric having, preferably, a reinforcing bead 6 adjacent its outer edge portion and provided on its rear side adjacent its outer edge with a plurality of shallow, annularly spaced, thimble-like pockets 7, 8, 9, l9 and H, preferably of rubber or the like, adapted to receive the tips of the thumb and fingers of ones hand when the glove is in position for use, the web or body member 5 being adapted to extend from the thumb to the little finger of ones hand when the glove is in position for use.

Spaced inwardly a suitable distance from th respective thimble-like pockets '1 to H and in substantial alignment therewith are 'a plurality of rings or ring-like portions i2; 13, 14, i5, and i6, preferably of rubber or the like, adapted to receive the fingers of ones hand adjacent the juncture of the respective fingers and thumb, and formed on the inner edge portion of the body member 5 and 'extendingjpreferably, between the respective rings are a plurality of tabs H adapted to assist in applying a glove touor removing the glove from ones hand, the thimble-like pocket members being also provided with tabs It to facilitate the application and removal of the pockets from the tips of the fingers and thumb.

For providing a desired degree of comparative rigidity adjacent the fingers and thumb, a plurality of flexible, resilient ribs l9 may be formed on the rear side of the body member 5 in a manner to extend between the thimb-le-like pockets I to H and the respective rings lZ'to l6, inclusive, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

For securing the glove against-accidental displacement from ones hand when in use, the glove is provided with a resilient 'or elastic wrist band-2 I, having secured to opposite sides thereof, a pair of resilient or elastic strips 22 and 23 for connecting the wrist band to the outer or opposite end portions of the body member 5 adjacent the thimble-like pockets 1 and I I, respectively.

It will be observed that the outer end portions of the strips 22 and 23 are connected to the body member 5 adjacent the outer edge thereof and closely adjacent the thimble-like pockets 1 and II at a point substantially removed from the juncture of the little finger and adjacent finger of ones hand and from the juncture of the thumb and index finger. When the glove is in position on ones hand, the strips 22 and 23 are intended to be under suitable tension for yieldingly holding the body member 5 and fingers of ones hand in open or spread apart position, thereby relieving the hand from the muscular effort of holding the fingers and thumb in spaced relation for distending the body member 5 to its most efiicient swimming position.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a novel- I construction and arrangement whereby the glove may be readily applied and removed from the hands of the user, and wherein novel tab construction is employed to facilitate such application and removal. Also, that the present invention provides a novel construction and arrangement for yieldingly retaining the fingers of ones hand and the web-like body portion or member 5 of the glove in distended, wide open or spread condition when in position on ones hand, thereby relieving the hand from muscular effort in retaining the glove in its most efficient swimming position.

Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described as the same may be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an article of the class described and in combination, a sheet of flexible water-proof material forming a body member adapted to be positioned adjacent the front side of the fingers of ones hand and to extend from the thumb to the little finger thereof when the fingers are spread apart, a plurality of annularly spaced inwardly opening thimble-like pockets formed integrally with said body member at the rear side thereof and adjacent its outer edge, a, plurality of resilient rings formed integrally with said body member and spaced inwardly from the open ends of the respective pockets, said rings having openings positioned in substantial alignment with said pockets, a resilient wrist band, integrally formed reinforcing ribs on said body member extending from the respective pockets to the respective rings, and a plurality of strips formed integrally with said sheet and wrist band for connecting the respective opposite end portions of said body member to oppositely disposed portions of said band.

2. In an article of the class described and in combination, a sheet of flexible water-proof material forming a body member adapted to be positioned adjacent the front side of the fingers of ones hand and to extend from the thumb to the little finger thereof when the fingers are spread apart, a plurality of resilient, thimblelike, inwardly opening pockets integrally formed on the rear side of said body member adjacent the outer edge thereof, a plurality of resilient rings integrally formed on the rear side of said body member and spaced inwardly from the adjacent portions of the respective pockets, reinforcing ribs on said body member disposed between the respective pockets and the respective rings, pull tabs on the inner edge portion of said body member and extending between the respective rings and terminating adjacent the ring ends of said reinforcing ribs respectively whereby a pull on any tab will be transmitted to the ring and through the corresponding rib to the pocket at the other end of said rib, a wrist band, and strips of flexible resilient material connecting the respective end portions of said body member to oppositely disposed portions of said band.

EDWARD B. CODDINGTON. 

